Press Releases

Government’s policy of insuring the uninsured has gradually pushed insurance penetration in the country and proliferation of insurance schemes are expected to catapult this key ratio beyond 4 per cent mark by the end of this year, reveals the ASSOCHAM latest paper.

A new team is at the helm of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) as Mr Sandeep Jajodia, chairman & managing director (CMD), Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd.; Mr Balkrishan Goenka, chairman, Welspun Group and Mr Kiran Kumar Grandhi, vice-chairman of GMR Infrastructure Ltd. have taken over as president, senior vice-president and vice-president respectively.

With the National Highway Authority of India having received a mandate from the Budget to raise Rs 70,000 crore through infrastructure bonds and easy availability of low cost overseas loans for the AAA rated NHAI, the government’s road and highway building programme has enough cash to build the crucial infrastructure, Road Transport, Highway and Shipping Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari has said.

As a part of Labour reforms, The Government would introduce two important bills relating to wages and industrial relations in Parliament in March for simplification and rationalisation of the Labour Laws, Labour Minister Mr.BandaruDattatreya said at an ASSOCHAM Annual Event today.

The government has not taken any decision with regard to the tax on bank transactions, though it has received a set of recommendations from the Committee of Chief Ministers, Economic Affairs secretary, Mr Shaktikanta Das said at ASSOCHAM’s 96th Annual Function.

Extoling virtues of the Universal Basic Income, Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley today said at ASSOCHAM event at least one state is willing to take a plunge and launch a pilot on the scheme, proposed by the Economic Survey.

Air India’s balance sheet has to be restructured and debt reduced as part of the transformation of the national carrier, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr Jayant Sinha said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi today.

Expressing disappointment over belying of expectations on the interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India, the ASSOCHAM today said what is more worrying is the RBI putting an end to the “accommodative” stance in the wake of the impact of demonetization.

ASSOCHAM today said the fine prints of the electoral bond scheme for donations to the political parties by businesses and wealthy individuals should aim at maximising clean-up of the system and transparency in political funding.